LG Optimus L9 Review
Introduction:
While top Korean manufacturer Samsung has been making waves with its Android lineup both on retail shelves and in court, Korean #2 LG has quietly begun to make a name for itself with its Optimus lineup. With pioneering devices like the Optimus 2X, Optimus 3D and Optimus One, LG has shown that they are not afraid to push the limits of technology. This has of course culminated with LG being picked to design the Nexus 4 (based off of their excellent Optimus G,) but lost in the talk of quad-core processors and high definition displays is the launch of the Optimus L9 on T-Mobile. While it is not top-of the line, it has many great features you’d expect from a premium device such as a 4.5” IPS display and dual-core processor. With the Nexus 4 coming to T-Mobile on contract does the Optimus L9 have a place in the lineup? Read on to find out!
Design:
LG has been finding their design language over the past year, and the L9 builds on the angular, minimalist designs we’ve seen LG put out. The large 4.5” IPS display dominates, but there is also a slim physical home button below. Hidden capacitive back and menu keys flank the home button. The volume rocker and side power button are a bit smaller than we’d prefer and could be easier to find by touch. They don’t offer much travel or tactile feedback, but seem to work well enough.
While top Korean manufacturer Samsung has been making waves with its Android lineup both on retail shelves and in court, Korean #2 LG has quietly begun to make a name for itself with its Optimus lineup. With pioneering devices like the Optimus 2X, Optimus 3D and Optimus One, LG has shown that they are not afraid to push the limits of technology. This has of course culminated with LG being picked to design the Nexus 4 (based off of their excellent Optimus G,) but lost in the talk of quad-core processors and high definition displays is the launch of the Optimus L9 on T-Mobile. While it is not top-of the line, it has many great features you’d expect from a premium device such as a 4.5” IPS display and dual-core processor. With the Nexus 4 coming to T-Mobile on contract does the Optimus L9 have a place in the lineup? Read on to find out!
Design:
LG has been finding their design language over the past year, and the L9 builds on the angular, minimalist designs we’ve seen LG put out. The large 4.5” IPS display dominates, but there is also a slim physical home button below. Hidden capacitive back and menu keys flank the home button. The volume rocker and side power button are a bit smaller than we’d prefer and could be easier to find by touch. They don’t offer much travel or tactile feedback, but seem to work well enough.
You can compare the LG Optimus L9 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.
With tapered edges, a textured, soft-touch back and measuring only 9.1mm thin the Optimus L9 is very comfortable to hold. That battery door is removable, giving access to the 2150mAh battery, SIM card and microSD slot. A quality plastic housing means that the L9 is light, but doesn’t feel cheap. Overall we appreciate the L9’s design, which may not evoke the same response as a premium device like the Optimus G, but does not feel like a budget model in any way.
Display:
The IPS display has a 540x960 qHD resolution, which makes for a respectable 245 ppi density. LG has made a name for themselves with excellent displays recently, and the L9 is no different. While it does not have the highest resolution, the IPS technology makes for very bright and vibrant displays with superb viewing angles. We had no issues using the phone in any lighting condition, and clarity was very good.
With tapered edges, a textured, soft-touch back and measuring only 9.1mm thin the Optimus L9 is very comfortable to hold. That battery door is removable, giving access to the 2150mAh battery, SIM card and microSD slot. A quality plastic housing means that the L9 is light, but doesn’t feel cheap. Overall we appreciate the L9’s design, which may not evoke the same response as a premium device like the Optimus G, but does not feel like a budget model in any way.
The IPS display has a 540x960 qHD resolution, which makes for a respectable 245 ppi density. LG has made a name for themselves with excellent displays recently, and the L9 is no different. While it does not have the highest resolution, the IPS technology makes for very bright and vibrant displays with superb viewing angles. We had no issues using the phone in any lighting condition, and clarity was very good.
LG Optimus L9 360-degrees View:
Interface and Software:
With a base of Android 4.0.4, LG has skinned the Optimus L9 with their familiar Optimus UI. There’s nothing new to talk about here, and the Optimus L9 features a few of LG’s unique features like QuickMemo allowing you to notate screenshots and SmartShare which lets you stream content to a DLNA device. It lacks some of the Optimus G’s standout features like QSlide and Live Zooming, which are possible due to the Optimus G’s quad-core processor. The overall Optimus UI is not as expansive as HTC Sense or Samsung’s Nature UX, but that isn’t a knock on it. Overall the performance is fluid and the skin does not seem to slow down the phone, which is more than we can say for other manufacturer attempts.
With a base of Android 4.0.4, LG has skinned the Optimus L9 with their familiar Optimus UI. There’s nothing new to talk about here, and the Optimus L9 features a few of LG’s unique features like QuickMemo allowing you to notate screenshots and SmartShare which lets you stream content to a DLNA device. It lacks some of the Optimus G’s standout features like QSlide and Live Zooming, which are possible due to the Optimus G’s quad-core processor. The overall Optimus UI is not as expansive as HTC Sense or Samsung’s Nature UX, but that isn’t a knock on it. Overall the performance is fluid and the skin does not seem to slow down the phone, which is more than we can say for other manufacturer attempts.
Processor and Memory:
The Optimus L9 uses a dual-core TI OMAP 4430 processor, up from the single core unit used in the L7. It is paired with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. Over half of that is used for the system, but the user can easily increase storage capability with a microSD card. The Optimus L9 may not have the most impressive hardware specs, but the performance is solid and we didn’t have any noticeable lag or hang-ups while using the L9.
Connectivity and Internet:
Technically a 4G device, the Optimus L9 runs on T-Mobile’s 21Mbps network, but doesn’t support the faster 42Mbps network. Other connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth 3.0 but the Optimus L9 curiously lacks NFC found in the smaller L7 and most other recent Android handsets. The Optimus L9 does offer Wi-Fi direct for easy file-sharing.
Browsing on both the stock browser and Chrome was as you would expect. Page loads were quick, and panning, tapping and pinching produced reliable results.
Camera:
The Optimus L9’s 5 megapixel camera produced acceptable but not particularly good results. At full resolution details are fuzzy, but color reproduction is fairly accurate. Outdoor images turned out better than our indoor samples, where even in strong light the images turned out grainy. The results are fine for Facebook and other sharing services, but the camera is definitely a bit of a disappointment. It is capable of recording 1080p video which turned out fairly well, though background noise could be overwhelming. Like the camera, the camcorder lacks detail but at least is able to keep up with moving objects fairly well.
The Optimus L9’s 5 megapixel camera produced acceptable but not particularly good results. At full resolution details are fuzzy, but color reproduction is fairly accurate. Outdoor images turned out better than our indoor samples, where even in strong light the images turned out grainy. The results are fine for Facebook and other sharing services, but the camera is definitely a bit of a disappointment. It is capable of recording 1080p video which turned out fairly well, though background noise could be overwhelming. Like the camera, the camcorder lacks detail but at least is able to keep up with moving objects fairly well.
LG Optimus L9 Sample Video:
Multimedia:
The included media and video players performed exactly as you would expect them to with no surprises. Google Play Music is also pre-loaded for cloud streaming and local playback, and there are plenty of other alternatives available in the Play Store.
Callers were very impressed with the Optimus L9, rating us 8.5/10 and calling it one of the more clear phones we’ve tested. They said there was a slight hollowness to it, but voices were clear and they had no problems hearing us. They sounded great on our end as well, with plenty of volume and natural voice reproduction. Even with a noisy background we didn’t have any problems hearing our caller. LG claims “usage” time of 1 day and 5 hours on the 2150mAh battery. While that seems a bit vague, in our testing we had no problems getting through a typical day with plenty of battery left.
Conclusion:
The LG Optimus L9 brings a great budget option to T-Mobile’s lineup. It is of course not as good as the forthcoming Nexus 4, but it absolutely holds its own with similar offerings from HTC and Samsung. The 4.5” IPS display is wonderful, and the dual core TI OMAP processor delivered smooth performance. We would have preferred a better camera, but at $80 on contract we can’t complain too much. Call performance and battery life both exceeded expectations, and we are a fan of the Optimus L9’s sleek design as well. T-Mobile certainly offers better devices, but for the price you’re not sacrificing much with the Optimus L9.
Android 4.0.4
Software P76910e
Build IMM76L
LG Optimus L9 Video Review:
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